Tonometers are well known ophthalmic instruments which are used to measure the intraocular pressure of a patient's eye. During the intraocular pressure measurement procedure, however, the attending ophthalmologist must make required adjustments in the tonometer and/or a control lever for the instrument's microscope eyepiece. Typically, these manual control inputs must occur while the ophthalmologist also holds the patient's eyelids apart.
One prior proposal to alleviate some of the control/adjustment awkwardness of conventional applanation tonometers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,155 to Urinowski et al (the entire content of which is expressly incorporated hereinto by reference). The apparatus disclosed in FIG. 7 of Urinowski et al '155 includes a remote-control motorized unit which may be coupled operatively to the adjustment knob of the tonometer unit via a flexible drive shaft. Operation of the selector switch will thus cause the motor in the unit to drive, via the flexible shaft, the adjustment wheel. (See column 5, lines 22-30.)